Yesterday, I saw this little treasure posted on Craig's List. It has a light underneath that lights up the work area (for tracing, etc) and a light on top, plus lots of storage. It was cheap and located in New Holland, so I emailed about it, and the guy called me and said it was still available. Here he goes to Petra and knew my sister (who's on staff there), and when Shawn went to get it, it was a guy he knew from high school who knew his sister Missy. It is a small world!Joshua loves his new desk. I thought he would. It's bigger than it looks in this picture (as we found out when Shawn went to pick it up and we fit it into our office!). There's lots of storage for crayons and markers, and it's the perfect size for him. Oh, how I hope he enjoys it! I love "good stuff cheap."
Another funny Bean story that I had to share. This morning, Joshua asked for "peanut butter bread with white butter" (he gets butter and peanut butter confused). I said to him "YOU GOT IT!" and he got very upset. He shouted back at me "No, I don't got it! You got it! I want it!" Haaaa!!! I tried to explain to him that "you got it" is like saying "okay" or agreeing. He didn't get it. He didn't "got it" and he wanted it! Haaa!!! I tried all morning to keep using the expression, but he kept getting more upset so I let it go. He then asked to take a nap, and he's sleeping now (it's 9:30 am).
I've been working with Joshua on learning his date of birth. He came into our room this morning, climbed up in our bed, and said to me "my birthday is September 18." Yes, yes it is! He told Daddy, too. :) :) :) He tells me Caleb is 1 and Joshua is 2. Soon, though, he'll be three. But, he can't hold up three fingers altogehter without letting the fourth pop up. :)
Last night, Caleb went to Bible study with me and he did well the whole time in the nursery. Yeah! He now says "more," "quack," "book," and "up." He jabbers a lot more than that, but those are the distinguishable words. His favorite food is blueberries, but they don't agree with him... enough said. He's definitely not a morning person and usually takes awhile to get half-happy in the morning (the opposite of the Bean). He's loving books these days and thoroughly enjoys being read to, but he also enjoys turning the pages back and forth. I'm taking him to the pediatrician later this morning. Yesterday he started rolling his eyes into the back of his head. I called the doctor concerned, and they said that they should take a look just to be safe. Please keep both boys in your prayers!
I was in sooo much pain yesterday. Maybe it was the barometric pressure? The only reason I say that is because after dinner, we went outside to get some fresh air. Shawn & the boys were playing soccer and I was relaxing on the lounge chair. I thought "maybe a walk will help my circulation and ease the pressure that I feel building in my leg." So, I begged Shawn to take a quick walk around the neighborhood with me (not something he enjoys). We put Caleb in the stroller and let Joshua walk, and we started down the street. We no more than walked the first block, and we felt a drip come down from the sunny skies. Could it have been what we thought it was? No... Only, heaven didn't agree with us. Within seconds, the skies opened up and let loose. We were drenched. Joshua started to sing, and we laughed. He sang "I'm so blue-hoo-hoo, blue-hoo-hoo, blue-hoo-hoo, blue, I'm so blue I don't know what to do." We giggled and giggled. I couldn't run (honestly, I could barely even walk!), so we just enjoyed the shower and listened as Joshua sang and then would talk about God playing the drums with the thunder. We all dried off when we got in the door, and the boys got ready for bed. I rocked Caleb to sleep and then tucked in the Bean. I love night time!
I had my second surgery this past Friday. As I wrote in an email to my mother-in-law: "It went much better...well, I went in there with a long list of questions since my last one wasn't so hot, and that earned me the complete knock out. :) :) :) So, I was under and didn't feel a thing, other than the nurse sticking me four times 'til she found a painful spot for my IV. 
Thankfully, our marriage isn't based on our day-to-day looks (more the overall trend...just kidding!!!). Shawn has been amazing with the boys. He's such a great dad! And a great husband! I'm so very blessed. This has been a rough couple weeks since my first surgery. I really thought the first one would go more like the second did. But, as the surgeon explained, my tissue and veins are really inflamed in my right leg, which is causing an ungodly amount of pain. I feel like I can barely move. I'm not supposed to stand or sit for long periods of time (ummm...what else is there?). It's right at a spot where the boys hit into it a lot, too, so I'm extra cautious. These poor boys! It's finally nice out and their momma is out of commission! I notice, though, as Shawn is in pain from various injuries, he just keeps going. He doesn't let pain stop him (although the doc said pain can be our friend, telling us what we need to know so we should listen to it). I think, though, it's time that I get back up and running. Our house needs it! Our boys need it! Shawn needs it (whether or not he'd admit it)!
The second song is a Bebo Norman song that they played at Bible study on Tuesday night. Right now we're studying the Psalms of Ascent (which hasn't been the greatest Beth Moore study I've done, but it's always good to be diving into God's word). I thought the lyrics of "I will lift my eyes" from Psalm 121 were excellent:
I loved this picture of the boys above. They are in a little parade around the vacuum cleaner, having fun with Daddy and each other.
A couple other random stories. As Joshua & I were coloring the other morning (Caleb sat with us but mostly tried to eat the crayons until I put them out of reach), Joshua said "it's the baby elephant's birthday." I wondered where he got that from...then I realized that the picture he was coloring had an elephant in a hat that looked almost identical to Caleb's first birthday hat. I love how little minds think! He also surprised me the other day when we were looking at the blog and he said "that's Joshua looking at the boats." The picture has only the Bean and a flag in the background, but he remembered that we were looking at the boats that day in that place. He is so sharp! I see impressive intelligence in our lil' Caleb Luke, too. He is learning and growing everyday. He already has mastered going up and down the stairs by himself. He gets to the top and turns around to go down backward. I was afraid he wouldn't learn how, but it didn't take him long! I have more stories to post, but I'm getting tired...or at least my legs are starting to really ache.
So, I'll end this post with the picture of Caleb blowing you kisses good night!
I also loved the following pictures. Mom met me at the mall, and the kids got some play time in the play area by the food court. Then Joshua went back to her house from some one-on-one love while Caleb came home with me for lunch. In the afternoon while the boys napped, I kept my leg elevated above my heart and prayed that my soreness would go away. My friend Lisa came over with a meal for us last night, and I could have cried...God is so good. It tasted delicious and came on a great night when I was hurting.
The boys did well, for the most part. I liked many of the pictures, and put them in the order of my favorites on this post. Caleb kept wanting to walk away from the girl, even though he was enjoying himself and Joshua wanted to step right in to take his place. He loves being photographed!
Caleb started saying his second word over the weekend. Beyond the mama, dadda, and other baby babbles, Caleb distinctly says "MORE!" We can now add to that, "QUACK!" He loved the duck the boys got on Saturday and now quacks on demand. When we were at the mall playground, he went right up to the duck and said "quack quack quack!" This is a favorite for Shawn & me. We giggle each time at how cute it is!
Caleb is also starting to point out pictures in books. He loves the "Kiss Good Night" book we used to read to the Bean and is starting to pick out the bear and the mouse, just like Joshua did at this age. We're also trying to teach Caleb his body parts.
The boys love to play together. They are so close! Caleb tries to do everything Joshua does. Sometimes this is amusing to the Bean; other times, it can be frustrating that he has to share. They do often end up laughing with one another.
Last night, Shawn said he needed caffeine, so we went to the Starbucks drive-through since we had a coupon. Joshua always asks for his "joker face" song (which to the rest of the world is known as "Poker Face") and then he starts to dance. Last night he kept telling us to watch him dance and then watch Caleb dance. It looked like a scene out of a TV commercial "dah-dah-dah." They were both bopping their heads and smiling away at the music. We giggled...then joined in.
Yesterday and today have been rainy, so they haven't been able to do much outside. I think they're both restless. I'm a little tired of being in the house myself, but I'm also too sore to think of wrestling with them out and about. Hopefully soon I'll be feeling 110% better!
Tomorrow is my next surgery. Please pray that the boys have fun with Grandma & Shawn over the weekend and that everything goes well!
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Hope you both have a great year!
Soon it was time to go. I was feeling sore, and thankfully that place isn't all that big. So, we came home and rested for awhile. When the boys woke up, Daddy filled their little Wally-the-whale pool and both boys enjoyed standing in the water and splashing around a bit, even though it was chilly. He got them dried off and dressed when they were all done, and we headed to McDonald's on Manheim Pike for dinner. Neither of us felt up to cooking (we were both exhausted) and we had been wanting to check out the indoor playground (which was nothing to write home about). Joshua ate maybe a handful of fries, and Caleb had some chicken nuggets. A little duck was in their value meal, and both boys thought this thing was cute. 
When we got home, I elevated my sore legs again. Shawn was also tired and itchy from his poison ivy. He let the boys play outside for a few minutes, which was long enough that Caleb fell in our driveway and got his first ever boo-boo on his knee. Daddy took him in and changed him into his PJ's before I could get a picture. We then let the boys play in the office, and Daddy took a couple quick pictures of the Bean on his 34-month birthday.
I can't believe how Joshua is growing (not that these pictures do him any justice)! His mind is developing so rapidly now. Not only can he count, tell us all the colors (even some of the trickier ones like white, etc), knows all the alphabet letters, etc, he sees along to most songs now with the actual words, and we just love to see the way he thinks about things. When he got out of the car the day that my mom helped me with the boys by taking us all to her house, he pointed and said "look, the moon." And it was! Not only was the sun shining, you could also still see the moon. He loves tractors and birds and butterflies, and he loves to see how things work. He'll really listen as we tell him things and repeat it back at different times when we're not expecting it. I also love how he gently pats Caleb's head to show him affection. Potty training is still off and on. Some days he's awesome about telling us and awesome about wanting to use the potty, and so forth. Other days, he's not really interested. It's more of a process than I thought it would be, but I think that's normal. (Since I've never done this before, I have no idea!). All in all, our Bean is growing up to be an amazing kid. Both Shawn & I feel like we can trust him, which really shows his maturity as a child. We trust that he doesn't get into things, that he's gentle with others, that he's going to behave in certain situations. We talked about this phenomenon the other day...how much Joshua is growing and both of us as parents have such a deep respect and love for him. He has definitely changed since his headbanging/screaming-fits days, and he is really turning out to be an amazing kid! We got his 33-month evaluation in the mail - once again we have a letter that says he's developing normally. God is SO GOOD! All the time! Happy 34-month birthday, my Bean! Enjoy the last few months of being two!
The doctor was running a little late, but I finally was taken back for surgery close to 10:30 am. They started me out on my belly and told me that I wouldn't be completely out for the surgery. However, at the first stab (I later found out that they put holes the entire way up my leg as they shot a numbing agent in with a needle), I felt the pain immediately. The anethstesiologist asked me if I was surprised and I said "No, it's not out of shock that I'm wincing, it HURTS!!!" Almost immediately I was put all but completely out. I remember them waking me to roll me over and they were putting that stuff on your legs that preps them for surgery. I smiled and said "instant tan" and everyone laughed. The next thing I remember is waking up in recovery with my compression stocking already on. They gave me two good doses of pain medication through my IV that felt wonderful, some Lornadoones and some diet gingerale and sent us on our way.
My husband, for taking off work to be with me and putting up with my whining when I'm sore. He also comes home from after working all day and takes care of the kids and tells me to rest. He's amazing.
Nonie, who picked up both boys on Tuesday and watched them for the day so I could rest. It was a huge help!
And lastly my two amazing little boys who have had to put up with their mommy moving slower than usual and not taking them outside as much (since I'm not supposed to get the leg too hot, etc). They have been sooo good through this entire ordeal.
We invited both sides of both our families, our life group friends and my dear friend Suzanne, who unfortunately couldn't make it. It ended up being our family (Shawn, me, Joshua & Caleb), of course; my sister Jen & her husband Mike and their five kids Grace, Faith, Emma, Daniel & John; Grandma (my mom) & her husband Ken; my sister Becky & her husband Tim; Shawn's brother Brian & his two kids Grant & Jenavieve; Shawn's sister Missy & her husband Kevin; Shawn's sister Hilary; Nonie & Poppy (Shawn's dad); Shawn's sister Alicia & her son Jordon; Shawn's Grandma Good; and our lifegroup friends Becca & Angel with their kids Alayna & Kyla; Chris & Lisa with their daughter Isabella; and John & Angie with their daughters Lael & Alonna. I don't think I missed anyone!
Unfortunately, Caleb was somewhat crabby that entire afternoon. First, I thought he might be hungry...
So, we invited our guests to eat. Shawn was the grill-master (thank you, love!) and cooked hamburgers & hot dogs. We also served macaroni salad (thanks for your help, mom!), watermelon, a veggie tray, doritos, chips, pickles and all the fixins that go along with the burgers, etc.
Eventually I got the boys something to eat and tried to scarf a little myself before getting Caleb back down, who continued to cry. :(
Joshua & Daniel ate together at the picnic table.
Most everyone else sat on their lawn chairs and mingled.
Before long it was time to break out the cake. I had ordered both cakes at Giant, where you get a free round cake for your child's first birthday. They were marble with buttercream frosting, and we had three types of ice cream: chocolate, vanilla and 'party cake' (which Shawn picked out - and it was delicious, I might add).
With the 'pleasant' breeze, the 1 candle blew out before I reached Caleb as we sang to him. That was okay, though.
Unlike Joshua, who dove right in, Caleb simply put a finger in the icing and decided he didn't want any. He cried 'til we got him down, and the cake was basically in tact.
I took him inside to see if I could calm him down, and he tried to go to sleep. I realized that he had taken an earlier-than-normal nap, which had been great for us in getting things done for the party (like chopping veggies) but it didn't work so great for him, who was now exhausted.
I didn't let him nap because we had gifts to open, but eventually he got a second wind. I felt bad he didn't enjoy his cake (or his party, really). 
I also didn't get to chat much with anyone 'til the end of the night because I was walking him around. He was a momma's boy, which is okay by me (for now). :)
Unforutnately, we couldn't give Bean much attention either since Daddy was grilling and I was consoling Caleb. I think our guests picked up on his need for love, though. That night after the party, he decided to come and snuggle us in bed and told us basically that he had missed us all day. He was so cute that we couldn't say no, especially with my surgery the next day.
People were starting to leave, so we knew it was time to keep the party moving and started opening gifts with Caleb.
He got some very cute books...
and toys...
...money for college and more!
When the party crowd had died down, Caleb actually started enjoying himself. Some of the aunts & uncles took the kids across the street to the playground, which I know Bean loved. Our life group friends with their little ones stayed and we sat in a circle and chatted while Caleb played and played and played. 
Soon everyone parted ways and we cleaned up outside and inside and prepared for the next day. Caleb stayed up until almost midnight - his second wind carried him way past his bedtime, and he refused to lay down. Then Joshua came into our room about an hour after Caleb finally passed out. So, we got no sleep that night, but I'm not sure how much I would have gotten anyway the night before my surgery. I love my boys. Happy 1st birthday, Caleb Luke!
